Page 89 of The Duke's Spinster Bride
Frederick grinned. “That is just a risk I will have to take. I have wasted enough time already.”
He sprinted from the room, as his grandmother called out, “She is staying at Charlotte’s by the way, before you go haring off in the complete wrong direction.”
“Thank you.” He shouted back, barely breaking his stride.
He was fairly certain he heard his grandmother say something about “men” and “fools.”
I just hope I am not too late.
ChapterThirty-One
“Your Grace, there is a visitor here to see you.” A muffled voice sounded through the door.
Andrea frowned and glanced at the clock in her bedroom. It was almost midnight.Who on Earth would want to speak to me at this hour?
The sound of rain filled the air around her. For a wild moment, she thought the visitor might be her father, but that would be ridiculous. He would have no way of knowing she was here and more to the point, she doubted Charlotte would have permitted him into the house.
“Does her Grace know about this?” Andrea asked, tugging on a dressing gown and walking towards the door.
“Yes. She… She asked that I escort the visitor to the drawing room and let you know of his presence.”
Andrea’s brow furrowed. “Surely it can wait until the morning?”
“Does your Grace wish for me to tell the gentleman that you will not see him until the morning?”
Andrea thought she heard the sound of footsteps in the distance, but that made no sense. “Yes, I think that would be best. After all, I am not even properly dressed.”
“Of course your Gr- Sir, what are you doing? You cannot go in there –” the rest of the butler’s sentence was cut off as the door to Andrea’s bedroom burst open.
She leapt back as a familiar figure strode through, the butler hot on his heels. “Your Grace, I tried to tell him-”
Andrea held up a hand. “- Do not worry, Mr. Danvers, I know you did your best. My husband is a rather stubborn man.”
Frederick looked at her, his blue eyes flashing in the firelight. His hair was slicked across his head, rivulets of water running down his face. Droplets of water hit the floor around him, drowned out by the rain tapping against the glass of her window.
“You may leave us, I doubt the Duke will be staying long.” Andrea did not take her eyes from her husband’s face.
The butler swallowed, bowed to her and Frederick and then swept from the room. Andrea gripped the back of an armchair as she stared at her husband, using it to steady herself.
Her heart thundered in her chest, but her voice was strangely calm. “What are you doing here?”
He took a step towards her, but then stopped. “I needed to see you.”
“It is nearly midnight.” She gestured to the clock.
The distant boom of thunder shook the glass. She rolled her shoulders back, trying to make sense of what she was seeing. Why was he here? What did he want with her?
Her heart stirred within her chest, but she clamped down hard on it. She would not let it trick her with false hope. She already knew how that would end.
I knew this was a mistake.She repeated his words over and over in her head, trying to beat down her treacherous heart. She swallowed as he took another step towards her.
“I know. But this could not wait.” He gave himself a shake, sending droplets of water flying across the room. “I had already wasted too much time.”
Wasted too much time?She frowned at him, crossing her arms across her chest. “You are dripping on the carpet. Did you ride here in the rain?”
“Yes.” He shifted, moving so that he was no longer standing on the carpet, a puddle forming on the stone around him.
“Why?” She canted her head towards him.
